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Detached retina (retinal detachment)
A detached retina is when the thin layer at the back of your eye (retina) becomes loose. It needs to be treated quickly to stop it permanently affecting your sight.
Urgent advice:
Get advice from 111 now if:
dots or lines (floaters) suddenly appear in your vision or suddenly increase in number
you get flashes of light in your vision
you have a dark "curtain" or shadow moving across your vision
your vision gets suddenly blurred
These could be symptoms of a detached retina.
111 will tell you what to do. They can tell you the right place to get help if you need to see someone.
Go to 111.nhs.uk or call 111.
Other ways to get help
Treatment for a detached retina
You'll be referred to hospital for surgery if tests show your retina may be detached or has started to come away (retinal tear).
This will usually stop your vision getting worse.
What happens during surgery for a detached retina or tear
Recovery time after surgery varies. But as a general guide, for 2 to 6 weeks after surgery:
your vision may be blurry
your eye may be sore and red – take paracetamol if you need to
you may need to take time off work
you may not be able to drive
you may need to avoid flying (if you've had a bubble of gas put into your eye)
Most people are eventually able to return to all their normal activities.
Important
Call the hospital or go to A&E if the pain, redness or blurriness gets worse after surgery. You may need further treatment.
Causes of a detached retina
A detached retina is usually caused by changes to the jelly inside your eye, which can happen as you get older. This is called posterior vitreous detachment (PVD).
It's not clear exactly why PVD can lead to retinal detachment in some people and there's nothing you can do to prevent it. But it's more likely to happen if you:
are short-sighted
have had an eye operation (such as cataract surgery)
have had an eye injury
have a family history of retinal detachment
If your symptoms come back
You can get a detached retina more than once. Get medical help as soon as possible if the symptoms come back.
Page last reviewed: 16 December 2020
Next review due: 16 December 2023
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